I have read two Christopher Gortner books about Spain recently. The Last Queen and The Queen's Vow. The author spent some of his childhood in Spain, and has written about two Queens of Castille. Neither was expected to inherit the crown, but both did and fought for their country. Spain is a country whose history I know little of before knowing of the uncle of Katherine of Aragon, and nephew of Katherine of Aragon fighting for her diplomatically on the world stage, and then the marriage between Philip and Mary I.
I found both books interesting, i had not realised how the south of Spain had had such a Muslim influence till I was an older adult. IN my childhood I did not know of Andalusia, and the university cities where Jews, Christians and Muslim scholars got together.
It is a shame that the inquisition was introduced during Isabelle of Castilles time.
I am now reading a book by Ruth Park that is fascinating. I had read Poor Man's Orange and Harp in the South a long time ago, but never had I met Swords and Crowns and Rings. I am thoroughly enjoying her writing style, and admiring her vocabulary. She paints the picture of difficulty in life really clearly and empathetically and shows ugly sides of Australian history.
The funny thing is that at the same time I am listening in the car to Carpentaria by Alexia Wright, and that is talking about the aboriginal community and the difficulties there, and is so similar in the disfunction, but so different because it is a worse existance in many ways.
I meant to do this regularly but I have not been doing so.
